Taken from ‘Bungklang Bungkling’, ‘Bikul Rusuh’, featured in Bali Post, Sunday, 17th May 2009,
a column by I Wayan Juniartha
Translated by Putu Semiada
a column by I Wayan Juniartha
Translated by Putu Semiada
MOUSE
In Bali you are not allowed to curse the mice (especially when they make trouble in your house or rice field. You should respect them instead. And you should call them ‘Jero Ketut’ (Master Ketut).
“Jero Ketut, please go ahead.” That’s what you should say to them when you find them eating the baked chicken that is supposed for temple offering.
If a chicken ruins your offerings, you will immediately chase it away. A worse thing happens when a cat does it. You will throw a stone directly at the cat. Nobody really cares about cats, as they do about mice.
‘Jero Ketut’ is a term rarely used to address people at the moment. Even with a traditional village leader (bendesa), you just nod. In other words, traditional Balinese ‘respect’ the mice. No matter how bad they spoil your house, e.g. spoiling your house ceiling, kitchen utensils or taking the fish that you are going to have for your breakfast, or when the mice feed the rice at your rice field, the farmers will never complain. Instead they will make offerings to please them.
When the mice plague happens, the farmers will conduct a ceremony called nangluk mrana (turning back pestilence). Under this circumstances, mice seem very respected animals. When a mouse gets killed by a human, the mouse will be cremated complete with offerings. But nobody knows where its soul will go.
In Bali, mice are animals that are more respected than other animals (birds, grasshoppers, etc.). No cremation ceremonies have been made for these animals.
Why is that? Probably it because plagues caused by mice are the worst ones. If you harm a mouse, it might get angry and it will bring more of its friends and in return they might ruin your rice field and eat all the rice.
Maybe that’s why the farmers never try to harm the mice.
In the real world, the word ‘tikus’ (mouse), refers to the corrupted government officials who always try to ‘steal’ the state’s money. This kind of people is untouchable. It is very different from other ‘tikus’: those who do small crime such as stealing chickens, cows, etc or pick-pocketing, etc. This kind of person is easily and quickly hit by the people when they are caught in the act and sent to jail.
On other hand, nobody ever dares to catch or send to jail the ‘tikus’ who steal the country’s money, or exploit the forest and lake. If any people dare to expose, it is considered ‘insulting’ the ‘respected’ people.
So, we can call the mice in the rice field as ‘Jero Ketut’ while we call the ‘tikus’ in the bureaucracy or parliament as ‘Jero Bapak’.
“Jero Ketut, please go ahead.” That’s what you should say to them when you find them eating the baked chicken that is supposed for temple offering.
If a chicken ruins your offerings, you will immediately chase it away. A worse thing happens when a cat does it. You will throw a stone directly at the cat. Nobody really cares about cats, as they do about mice.
‘Jero Ketut’ is a term rarely used to address people at the moment. Even with a traditional village leader (bendesa), you just nod. In other words, traditional Balinese ‘respect’ the mice. No matter how bad they spoil your house, e.g. spoiling your house ceiling, kitchen utensils or taking the fish that you are going to have for your breakfast, or when the mice feed the rice at your rice field, the farmers will never complain. Instead they will make offerings to please them.
When the mice plague happens, the farmers will conduct a ceremony called nangluk mrana (turning back pestilence). Under this circumstances, mice seem very respected animals. When a mouse gets killed by a human, the mouse will be cremated complete with offerings. But nobody knows where its soul will go.
In Bali, mice are animals that are more respected than other animals (birds, grasshoppers, etc.). No cremation ceremonies have been made for these animals.
Why is that? Probably it because plagues caused by mice are the worst ones. If you harm a mouse, it might get angry and it will bring more of its friends and in return they might ruin your rice field and eat all the rice.
Maybe that’s why the farmers never try to harm the mice.
In the real world, the word ‘tikus’ (mouse), refers to the corrupted government officials who always try to ‘steal’ the state’s money. This kind of people is untouchable. It is very different from other ‘tikus’: those who do small crime such as stealing chickens, cows, etc or pick-pocketing, etc. This kind of person is easily and quickly hit by the people when they are caught in the act and sent to jail.
On other hand, nobody ever dares to catch or send to jail the ‘tikus’ who steal the country’s money, or exploit the forest and lake. If any people dare to expose, it is considered ‘insulting’ the ‘respected’ people.
So, we can call the mice in the rice field as ‘Jero Ketut’ while we call the ‘tikus’ in the bureaucracy or parliament as ‘Jero Bapak’.
